Where the Wind Blows
by Promised Flower
Summary: Sophie has been working at the Castle since before the enchantress cast her curse upon the Beast and his home ten years ago. Now she's seventeen and ecstatic to be human again. But life as a human isn't as simple as it is for a spoon.
1. Human Again!

Hi. My name is Blaine, and this is my very first fanfic. I'm not really sure how the system works, or how my story will look when I post it… or how to post it, actually. I suppose I'll figure it out eventually, in time. Hopefully. Anyway, I sort of threw this together in an hour, so sorry if it's short, not all that great, and for the lack of Belle or the Beast (whom I named Jean - pronounced zhon).

Reviews are welcome, and will let me know if I should continue this story. Constructive criticism is helpful as well, while any flaming will result in my hiring three very nasty Cuban hit-men to take you out. I do not have time to roll my eyes over some jerk's nasty comments.

That's all! Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter One

Human Again

I hurried along the passage to the room of my master's fiancée, trying to pull my blonde hair up while I ran. It wasn't easy. My blue eyes traveled along the walls and floors of the castle as I dashed along, savoring the sight of it from the eyes of a human, and from the height of one; it was difficult to see anything when one was a spoon, not that I was complaining. It would have been worse, I admitted to myself, if I had been turned into a shoe, like Jacques was. At least there was no one left to wear him.

Slowing as she reached the huge carved wooden doors, I took time to smooth my dress, pat my hair, and put any loose strands of it behind my ears. I raised my hand and knocked on the door.

"Come in," called out a melodious voice.

I entered the room, glancing around. It was well furnished with gold inlaid oak furniture, and the rich red carpet and curtains looked wonderful with it. A woman that was about her age was sitting in a chair reading a thick book. She was beautiful. Her hair was long, brown, and soft looking, her eyes were a lovely hazel, and her featured could rival the face of the enchantress that I had seen so long ago.

"Excuse me, Madame, but the master wishes to see you," I said.

"Thank you, but call me Belle," the woman said with a friendly smile.

"My thanks, and I am Sophie Lambert," I said.

"Nice to meet you, Sophie," Belle said. "Where is Jean? I haven't seen him for a while."

"The master is waiting for you in the lounge," I told her.

Belle hesitated.

"Do you want me to lead you there, M – Belle?" I asked.

"I think that would be safest. I spent most of my time in the library and outside, so I really don't have a clue where the lounge is," she said.

I smiled. She probably had a better bearing for where things were than I had when I was younger; it had taken me years just to find the way outside.

The lounge wasn't all that far from Belle's room, only two floors down and three corridors to the left. Considering the size of the castle, it was practically next door.

"It's so nice to see things with human eyes again," I said absently, looking around.

"Oh, were you enchanted?" Belle asked. "What as?"

I hesitated. "A spoon."

Belle laughed a lovely, musical laugh. I bet she could sing well. I couldn't hit a note if someone chucked it at me.

"How did you see things as a spoon?" she asked curiously.

"It's difficult to explain..." I began, trying to think of a good way to put it. "It's kind of like having your eyes closed, but being able to see things still, and almost, well, feel where they are."

"How facinating," Belle said, interested. I was relieved that she didn't think I was crazy. Well, crazier than I already was. She asked me a lot of questions about how it had been to be enchanted, and I answered them the best I could. It was hard to convey into words what things were like as a spoon.

"Were you one of the spoons at dinner my first night here?" Belle asked eventually.

"Yes, and let me tell you, that was the most exciting time we'd had in about ten years."

"Ten years?" Belle looked shocked. "That means Jean would have only been..."

"Eleven, yes," I finished for her when she trailed off in surprise.

"But that's horrible! How could the enchantress do that?" Belle looked angry.

I thought about it and said carefully, "The prince... wasn't nice. He's changed so drastically in the last year that I hardly recognize him, but he wasn't always like that." I paused, not sure that I should be the one telling these things to her about her fiancé. "Ask him about it," was the last thing I said as we walked.

Belle was silent then, but I was too busy enjoying my legs and arms to care. It was glorious to be human! I just couldn't think that enough.

Soon we reached the lounge, and I said goodbye and hurried to the kitchen, wanting to see my best friend, Angeline. We had known each other since before the curse, and been best friend practically from the time we were born. Angeline was a bit older than me, which made for many jokes about her age from me.

I wasn't watching where I was going, so I was startled when I ran headlong into something solid. I looked up quickly and my heart began acting strange.

Looking down at me was a handsome young man of about nineteen years. He had jet black hair that was a bit messy and flopped over his forehead, bottle green eyes in which I saw surprise, and nice teeth that showed when he smiled. I knew because he was smiling at me that moment, and I smiled back.

"Sophie," he said, "How are you?"

"Wonderful, now that I'm back to being human. How about you, Adrien? Happy you aren't an axe anymore?" I asked with a smile.

"Not especially. Life is rather adventurous when you have a large, sharp blade for a head," he said nonchalantly.

"Yes, I can see how that would have its allurements," I teased.

"It was exciting than being a spoon," he said, raising an eyebrow. "Did anyone eat off of you?"

"Thank heavens, no! How gross!" I thought about someone dipping my head in a bowl of vanilla, or perhaps salmon pudding and then sticking my head in their mouth. Eew.

"That would be disgusting, wouldn't it?" Adrien said with a grin.

"You're very irksome at times, did you know?" I asked innocently.

Adrien just smiled at me, and I felt my cheeks turning pink.

"It's good to see you again, Sophie," Adrien said.

"You too." I paused, not sure what to say. I hadn't really thought about what he would look like as a human again. "It's going to take me a while to get used to your human form," I said, taking a stab at getting the conversation flowing again. I blushed then as I eyed him; he was very handsome. I had not seen him as a human since ten years ago when the curse fell, when I was seven and he was nine. Why was I so flustered? We had been friends forever, as long as Angeline I had been.

Suddenly a bell rang, and I recognized the tone; I was being called. "I have to go, but maybe we can talk later," I said, not wanting to leave.

"Right. How about the library?" Adrien asked. He had remembered that I liked books, it seemed.

"I'll see you there." And with that I took off for the kitchen, thinking about how things were, and how much I liked them… especially now that I was human again.


	2. The Smell Of Magic

This chapter was very hard to do, and feels incredibly forced to me. I don't know if I'll continue this story. I'm just not that interested in it at this time. I might put out a redone version, but I don't know.

Thank you to my reviewers, and to everyone who read my first chapter.

Declaimer: I'm afraid I don't own Beauty and the Beast, or know who does.

**CHAPTER TWO**

_The smell of magic _

"Sophie!" someone called as I entered the kitchen. I looked around and saw a girl about my age with long, silky midnight hair, big brown eyes, and a friendly smile.

"Angeline!" I cried, racing over to her. We embraced, laughing. Pulling back I grinned at her. "You look wonderful!"

"So do you, Sophie! It's so good to see you again. As a human, that is," Angeline said.

We had been best friend for a very long time, practically before I could remember. She had always been the more popular, and I had been the quieter one, but that did not stop us from being friends.

Angeline and I chatted for a while, talking about this and that, and saying again and again how wonderful it was that the curse was finally lifted.

"I'd love to meet the woman that freed us," Angeline told me.

"I have met her, and Belle seems to be very nice," I said.

Angeline gaped at me. "You already met her? Why is it that the most exciting things always happen to you?" she grumbled teasingly.

"What about the time you put blue dye in the Master's shampoo? That was exciting," I pointed out.

Waving a hand, Angeline insisted that it didn't count if it had to do with hygiene. "He was mad, but he got over it when his hair grew out," she said dismissively.

"That's because he had more than blue hair to worry about," I said. Soon after the whole shampoo incident the enchantress had come and things like colored hair wash didn't seem to matter as much.

"Speaking of excitement, have you seen Jacques recently?" I asked slyly.

Angeline blushed. She had had many admirers when she had been a napkin holder, and I was sure that she would have even more now that you could actually see what she looked like, but out of all the young men vying for her attention, Angeline preferred red haired Jacques. He was funny, and sweet, but he also cared a bit too much what others thought of him and had an ego that as just a little too big for him.

"Actually, I have," Angeline said, trying sound casual, but her cheeks had a telltale pink flush to them.

"How is he?" I persisted, smiling.

"He's good."

"Happy not to be a boot, is he?"

"Wouldn't you be?" Suddenly Angeline's pink face smiled in a strange way. "And how is Adrien?"

For some reason the blood began to rush to my face. Unlike Angeline, I didn't have a pretty pink shade on my cheeks, my whole face turned red.

"Um, I saw him a minute ago," I admitted.

Angeline looked far too pleased with this news. "And what did you talk about?" she pressed.

"Not much. We talked a bit about being appliances, and about being human again," I said.

"Anything else?"

"I'm going to meet him at the libra…"

"You are? Good! When?" Angeline asked interestedly.

I opened my mouth, but got a jolt of surprise when I realized that we had not set a time. "I don't know," I murmured.

"How can you not know?" Angeline asked a bit impatiently.

"We forgot to set a time. I was in a hurry to…" Suddenly I remembered that I had been called for some chore or other. "I forgot, I have to work!"

"Don't think you can get out of telling me, Sophie. I'll talk to you tonight," Angeline promised, or perhaps threatened. With a smile she left.

I walked quickly toward the back of the kitchen where the head chef, Aubert, who had been a stove during the enchantment. I would rather be a spoon any day; you have more freedom even if you can't talk properly. Your singing voice improves when you're a piece of silverware, though.

"Sophie! You are late! My meal vill be cold by zee time you get it to zee dignitaries!" he complained loudly. I began to apologize, but he interrupted, saying, "What eez done eez done! Just take my delicious dishes to zee guests in zee dining room." He pushed a cart toward me. I looked at him in alarm, but he already had his back to me.

I was in no condition to be serving kingdom officials. I hadn't done my hair or anything. In desperation I put a head piece on, but I knew it wouldn't be great. Oh, well. If they didn't like it they could complain to the Master.

Putting on my best smile, I turned the cart toward the dinning room door and wheeled it out. The first thing I saw was a cat that must have been the size of a large dog. It was dark brown with a white patch on its left ear, and had amber eyes that stared at me intently. I stared back for a moment before remembering that I was here to serve the dignitaries.

"Ah, the dinner has arrived!" a female voice exclaimed happily. It belonged to a woman in her thirties with long auburn hair. She looked friendly enough.

There were five guests in all. The other four were men, two that seemed to be in their late sixties, one in his mid forties, and the fourth seemed to be in his early twenties.

"I've got the boiled salmon," said one of the elder gentlemen. He had a rather bushy mustache that made it hard to see him talk. The mustache just kind of jumped up and down when he said something.

"Here you are, Sir," I said politely, putting a plate of delicious looking pink salmon drowned in a brownish sauce in front of him. He rubbed his hands together and picked up his silverware, waiting for me to serve the others so that he could begin eating.

The other elder man had a chicken dish, the woman a thick, creamy stew, and the other two gentlemen both had duck. The only one who thanked me –or noticed me at all- was the younger lord. I couldn't help but think the cat belonged to him, since their hair and eyes matched.

After making sure that they were satisfied, I stood in the corner of the room and waited for them to finish. I hoped one of them would ask me to get them something so that I could do something to my hair to make it more presentable; it had gotten pretty windblown during my run to the kitchen.

The cat had followed me as I had served the guests, watching me all the while with its large eyes, but not in an unfriendly way. Now it was sitting slightly off to the side of the table, keeping me in its sights. I seemed to fascinate it.

Unfortunately the dignitaries finished their meal without any requests at all. So I began to gather the dishes, messy hair and all. It wasn't so bad; none of them paid me much attention.

"Miss," the young lord motioned for my attention.

I turned to him. "Yes?"

"Please give my compliments to the chef," he said with a smile. I nodded and continued with my work. It was nice that he had thought of that, though. Aubert would appreciate it tremendously.

The cat began to follow me as I left the dinning room, but the young lord murmured something to it and it halted its advance.

"The young lord compliments the chef!" I called out the Aubert as I pushed the cart through the kitchen. He smiled and began to talk to the nearest servant, no doubt about his food.

I was in a good mood – why I wasn't exactly sure – when I left the kitchen and made for the library. I figured that I could either go look for Adrien, taking a ton of time since I didn't know where he hung out as a human, or spend enough time in the library that I would catch him as he came in.

Suddenly the world tipped, and the stairs beneath my feet seemed to pull away. My head spun, and I felt a pressure all around me, nearly crushing me. Then there came a powerful scent of magic, old magic. And then it was over just as abruptly as it had begun, leaving me winded and dizzy.

I sat on a stone step, breathing hard, a hand on my racing heart. I didn't know what had happened, but I recognized magic when I smelled it. It was different than the enchantress' spell, though. It was a bit odd, but definitely not weak.

As I puzzled over what it could be, I thought about how strange it was that magic had a smell at all, but it did. It was generally a little metallic, but also very clean scented. This whiff was _very_ metallic. I wondered what it meant. Finally I decided that I wouldn't solve it sprawled all over the stairs, and got up to continue my trek to the library.

I was hoping to encounter someone on my way and ask them if they had felt the magic as well, but I saw no one as I approached the large green doors.

One of my favorite things to do was walk into the library; that first look always made me feel as if I was flying. All around me were towering shelves of books on all subjects, along with desks, soft carpets, and huge windows that overlooked the castle grounds. It was my favorite place in the whole castle.

Looking around, it appeared that no one else was in the library. I walked in, happily glancing over familiar and new titles, a tingling sensation rushing through me as I thought of starting a new book. I ran my fingers over a few on a lower shelf, looking up at the ones by the ceiling. Unfortunately I was afraid of heights, and so had no idea what was up there.

Sighing, I picked out a book I could reach and looked at the title. _Romeo and Juliet. _I didn't particularly enjoy that story, but I had not read in a while. I took off my shoes and settled into a comfy chair, my feet very happy as they moved around on the fluffy carpet.

For a while I lost myself in the world of the story, not noticing anything in the room. That is until I felt someone watching me. I looked up quickly but saw no one. With a shrug I began reading again, but I still felt as though I was being watched.

Finally I couldn't take it anymore and snapped my book shut, standing up quickly only come face to face with a smiling Adrien. More like smirking.

"We forgot to set a time," he said. I could hear a bit of a laugh in his voice at catching me off my guard.

"Yes," I answered slowly. My face was getting hot again. Maybe it was because he was so close.

"Enjoying your book?"

I stepped back and nodded, reaching for my shoes.

"You're staying for a while, right? You don't need your shoes," Adrien pointed out.

"I don't want the Master to come in and see me without them," I muttered. That would be a bit strange.

"I don't think he would mind, but if you insist," Adrien shrugged.

"Adrien," I began, deciding that he was as good a person as any to ask about the event on the stairs, or possibly to get my mind off of how near he had been to me, "Did you feel anything odd a while ago? Or smell any magic?"

Cocking an eyebrow at me, Adrien shook his head.

"I did, and it was strong. Do you know of anything that could have caused it?" I asked. I wondered if he thought I had lost my mind… or what was left of it, at any rate.

Before he could answer, the library doors opened and Belle walked in. "Oh, I didn't know there was someone here," she said. Then, glancing at us, asked, "Am I interrupting?"

"No," Adrien and I said at the same time. He gave me a sideways glance.

"I was just going to put this book back and get another," she explained walking in and heading for a ladder. She climbed it and reached the landing it led to, and put the book on a shelf. Then, as I watched enviously, she ascended a ladder that led to the topmost shelves and began searching for a new volume.

Adrien must have seen my longing glance, for he asked, "Have you ever been up there?"

I looked at him. "No; I'm terrified of heights, remember?"

"Yes, but I thought you might make an exception for books," he teased.

I shook my head, sad at the thought that I hadn't, but glad that Adrien and I seemed to be a little more relaxed with each other, at least enough for him to tease me a bit. Soon Belle returned to the ground floor and bid us good day before leaving, clutching a blue book happily.

"I'm happy for her," I murmured.

"What?" Adrien asked, turning to me.

"She got what she always wanted," I said thoughtfully, "An adventure, someone she loves, and a fairytale life to look forward to. She _is_ marrying a prince, after all."

"How do you know that's what she wanted?" Adrien asked curiously.

I shrugged. "Before the spell was broken, and after she was more comfortable here, she talked about life in the town she used to live in, books she loved, and how she had always wanted a more adventurous life." I paused. "She would talk to some of the kitchen appliances that she got to know rather well, and I was usually nearby, being a spoon and all, so I heard," I explained.

Adrien nodded, looking thoughtful. "And you?" he asked suddenly.

I looked up, a little surprised. "I don't know, exactly. I mean, who wouldn't want that kind of life? But... well, it's unlikely that I'll ever..."

"That you'll ever what?"

"Well, meet someone that feels the way about me that the Master feels about Belle," I said before I could think. My face turned red and I tried to hide it by grabbing my shoes and putting them back on, and then returned _Romeo and Juliet_ to its place.

"I doubt that," Adrien said seriously.

I turned around and looked at him. "I could, I know, but life isn't usually like that. I mean, only a few people ever find the person they're supposed to spend the rest of their life with," I said.

"And I think you'll be one of them." He looked very sincere, and walking closer to me.

I thought it was very sweet of him to say so, and smiled at him. "Thank you, I appreciate that."

Just as Adrien looked as though he was going to say something else, the doors opened again. This time it was the young lord from the dinner. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," he said politely, then smiled as he recognized me. "You're the one that served dinner, aren't you?" he asked. I nodded. "I am Antoine Devareaux."

Adrien raised an eyebrow. "How is you stay, lord Devareaux?" he asked.

"Joyful. It's a relief to have our king back," Antoine replied.

It was interesting to look at Adrien and lord Devareaux facing each other, one a servant the other a court member. Both were tall, lean and muscular, but lord Devareaux wore his hair long and tied back, and had a court mask and stance that befitted his standing in society. Adrien, however, stood in his casual manner, with his open, steady gaze, his short black hair flopping a little over his forehead.

"I hope the rest of your time here will be as enjoyable," I said politely. Then turning to Adrien, "I haven't seen the refurbished wing of the castle yet. Would you like to take me? And you are welcome as well, lord Devareaux."

Adrien had an odd look on his face, but consented.

"No, thank you, Miss," the young lord said politely, "I have things I must attend to, but I appreciate your offer. Perhaps another time?"

"Certainly, my lord."

With that Adrien and I walked out. I wondered at the look on his face, but shrugged it off. Suddenly I felt a bit of the strong magic again, but it passed quickly, and I couldn't sense it or smell it.

"Is something wrong?" Adrien asked.

I realized that I had been standing there for a few moments, trying to figure out what I had felt exactly. "I don't think so," I said, starting to walk again. Whatever it was, it could wait. I wanted to have fun right then, and there was an enjoyable afternoon with Adrien ahead.

This chapter was very hard to do, and feels incredibly forced to me. I don't know if I'll continue this story. I'm just not that interested in it at this time. I might put out a redone version, but I don't know.

Thank you to my reviewers, and to everyone who read my first chapter.

Declaimer: I'm afraid I don't own Beauty and the Beast, or know who does.

**CHAPTER TWO**

_The smell of magic _

"Sophie!" someone called as I entered the kitchen. I looked around and saw a girl about my age with long, silky midnight hair, big brown eyes, and a friendly smile.

"Angeline!" I cried, racing over to her. We embraced, laughing. Pulling back I grinned at her. "You look wonderful!"

"So do you, Sophie! It's so good to see you again. As a human, that is," Angeline said.

We had been best friend for a very long time, practically before I could remember. She had always been the more popular, and I had been the quieter one, but that did not stop us from being friends.

Angeline and I chatted for a while, talking about this and that, and saying again and again how wonderful it was that the curse was finally lifted.

"I'd love to meet the woman that freed us," Angeline told me.

"I have met her, and Belle seems to be very nice," I said.

Angeline gaped at me. "You already met her? Why is it that the most exciting things always happen to you?" she grumbled teasingly.

"What about the time you put blue dye in the Master's shampoo? That was exciting," I pointed out.

Waving a hand, Angeline insisted that it didn't count if it had to do with hygiene. "He was mad, but he got over it when his hair grew out," she said dismissively.

"That's because he had more than blue hair to worry about," I said. Soon after the whole shampoo incident the enchantress had come and things like colored hair wash didn't seem to matter as much.

"Speaking of excitement, have you seen Jacques recently?" I asked slyly.

Angeline blushed. She had had many admirers when she had been a napkin holder, and I was sure that she would have even more now that you could actually see what she looked like, but out of all the young men vying for her attention, Angeline preferred red haired Jacques. He was funny, and sweet, but he also cared a bit too much what others thought of him and had an ego that as just a little too big for him.

"Actually, I have," Angeline said, trying sound casual, but her cheeks had a telltale pink flush to them.

"How is he?" I persisted, smiling.

"He's good."

"Happy not to be a boot, is he?"

"Wouldn't you be?" Suddenly Angeline's pink face smiled in a strange way. "And how is Adrien?"

For some reason the blood began to rush to my face. Unlike Angeline, I didn't have a pretty pink shade on my cheeks, my whole face turned red.

"Um, I saw him a minute ago," I admitted.

Angeline looked far too pleased with this news. "And what did you talk about?" she pressed.

"Not much. We talked a bit about being appliances, and about being human again," I said.

"Anything else?"

"I'm going to meet him at the libra…"

"You are? Good! When?" Angeling asked interestedly.

I opened my mouth, but got a jolt of surprise when I realized that we had not set a time. "I don't know," I murmured.

"How can you not know?" Angeline asked a bit impatiently.

"We forgot to set a time. I was in a hurry to…" Suddenly I remembered that I had been called for some chore or other. "I forgot, I have to work!"

"Don't think you can get out of telling me, Sophie. I'll talk to you tonight," Angeline promised, or perhaps threatened. With a smile she left.

I walked quickly toward the back of the kitchen where the head chef, Aubert, who had been a stove during the enchantment. I would rather be a spoon any day; you have more freedom even if you can't talk properly. Your singing voice improves when you're a piece of silverware, though.

"Sophie! You are late! My meal vill be cold by zee time you get it to zee dignitaries!" he complained loudly. I began to apologize, but he interrupted, saying, "What eez done eez done! Just take my delicious dishes to zee guests in zee dining room." He pushed a cart toward me. I looked at him in alarm, but he already had his back to me.

I was in no condition to be serving kingdom officials. I hadn't done my hair or anything. In desperation I put a head piece on, but I knew it wouldn't be great. Oh, well. If they didn't like it they could complain to the Master.

Putting on my best smile, I turned the cart toward the dinning room door and wheeled it out. The first thing I saw was a cat that must have been the size of a large dog. It was dark brown with a white patch on its left ear, and had amber eyes that stared at me intently. I stared back for a moment before remembering that I was here to serve the dignitaries.

"Ah, the dinner has arrived!" a female voice exclaimed happily. It belonged to a woman in her thirties with long auburn hair. She looked friendly enough.

There were five guests in all. The other four were men, two that seemed to be in their late sixties, one in his mid forties, and the fourth seemed to be in his early twenties.

"I've got the boiled salmon," said one of the elder gentlemen. He had a rather bushy mustache that made it hard to see him talk. The mustache just kind of jumped up and down when he said something.

"Here you are, Sir," I said politely, putting a plate of delicious looking pink salmon drowned in a brownish sauce in front of him. He rubbed his hands together and picked up his silverware, waiting for me to serve the others so that he could begin eating.

The other elder man had a chicken dish, the woman a thick, creamy stew, and the other two gentlemen both had duck. The only one who thanked me –or noticed me at all- was the younger lord. I couldn't help but think the cat belonged to him, since their hair and eyes matched.

After making sure that they were satisfied, I stood in the corner of the room and waited for them to finish. I hoped one of them would ask me to get them something so that I could do something to my hair to make it more presentable; it had gotten pretty windblown during my run to the kitchen.

The cat had followed me as I had served the guests, watching me all the while with its large eyes, but not in an unfriendly way. Now it was sitting slightly off to the side of the table, keeping me in its sights. I seemed to fascinate it.

Unfortunately the dignitaries finished their meal without any requests at all. So I began to gather the dishes, messy hair and all. It wasn't so bad; none of them paid me much attention.

"Miss," the young lord motioned for my attention.

I turned to him. "Yes?"

"Please give my compliments to the chef," he said with a smile. I nodded and continued with my work. It was nice that he had thought of that, though. Aubert would appreciate it tremendously.

The cat began to follow me as I left the dinning room, but the young lord murmured something to it and it halted its advance.

"The young lord compliments the chef!" I called out the Aubert as I pushed the cart through the kitchen. He smiled and began to talk to the nearest servant, no doubt about his food.

I was in a good mood – why I wasn't exactly sure – when I left the kitchen and made for the library. I figured that I could either go look for Adrien, taking a ton of time since I didn't know where he hung out as a human, or spend enough time in the library that I would catch him as he came in.

Suddenly the world tipped, and the stairs beneath my feet seemed to pull away. My head spun, and I felt a pressure all around me, nearly crushing me. Then there came a powerful scent of magic, old magic. And then it was over just as abruptly as it had begun, leaving me winded and dizzy.

I sat on a stone step, breathing hard, a hand on my racing heart. I didn't know what had happened, but I recognized magic when I smelled it. It was different than the enchantress' spell, though. It was a bit odd, but definitely not weak.

As I puzzled over what it could be, I thought about how strange it was that magic had a smell at all, but it did. It was generally a little metallic, but also very clean scented. This whiff was _very_ metallic. I wondered what it meant. Finally I decided that I wouldn't solve it sprawled all over the stairs, and got up to continue my trek to the library.

I was hoping to encounter someone on my way and ask them if they had felt the magic as well, but I saw no one as I approached the large green doors.

One of my favorite things to do was walk into the library; that first look always made me feel as if I was flying. All around me were towering shelves of books on all subjects, along with desks, soft carpets, and huge windows that overlooked the castle grounds. It was my favorite place in the whole castle.

Looking around, it appeared that no one else was in the library. I walked in, happily glancing over familiar and new titles, a tingling sensation rushing through me as I thought of starting a new book. I ran my fingers over a few on a lower shelf, looking up at the ones by the ceiling. Unfortunately I was afraid of heights, and so had no idea what was up there.

Sighing, I picked out a book I could reach and looked at the title. _Romeo and Juliet. _I didn't particularly enjoy that story, but I had not read in a while. I took off my shoes and settled into a comfy chair, my feet very happy as they moved around on the fluffy carpet.

For a while I lost myself in the world of the story, not noticing anything in the room. That is until I felt someone watching me. I looked up quickly but saw no one. With a shrug I began reading again, but I still felt as though I was being watched.

Finally I couldn't take it anymore and snapped my book shut, standing up quickly only come face to face with a smiling Adrien. More like smirking.

"We forgot to set a time," he said. I could hear a bit of a laugh in his voice at catching me off my guard.

"Yes," I answered slowly. My face was getting hot again. Maybe it was because he was so close.

"Enjoying your book?"

I stepped back and nodded, reaching for my shoes.

"You're staying for a while, right? You don't need your shoes," Adrien pointed out.

"I don't want the Master to come in and see me without them," I muttered. That would be a bit strange.

"I don't think he would mind, but if you insist," Adrien shrugged.

"Adrien," I began, deciding that he was as good a person as any to ask about the event on the stairs, or possibly to get my mind off of how near he had been to me, "Did you feel anything odd a while ago? Or smell any magic?"

Cocking an eyebrow at me, Adrien shook his head.

"I did, and it was strong. Do you know of anything that could have caused it?" I asked. I wondered if he thought I had lost my mind… or what was left of it, at any rate.

Before he could answer, the library doors opened and Belle walked in. "Oh, I didn't know there was someone here," she said. Then, glancing at us, asked, "Am I interrupting?"

"No," Adrien and I said at the same time. He gave me a sideways glance.

"I was just going to put this book back and get another," she explained walking in and heading for a ladder. She climbed it and reached the landing it led to, and put the book on a shelf. Then, as I watched enviously, she ascended a ladder that led to the topmost shelves and began searching for a new volume.

Adrien must have seen my longing glance, for he asked, "Have you ever been up there?"

I looked at him. "No; I'm terrified of heights, remember?"

"Yes, but I thought you might make an exception for books," he teased.

I shook my head, sad at the thought that I hadn't, but glad that Adrien and I seemed to be a little more relaxed with each other, at least enough for him to tease me a bit. Soon Belle returned to the ground floor and bid us good day before leaving, clutching a blue book happily.

"I'm happy for her," I murmured.

"What?" Adrien asked, turning to me.

"She got what she always wanted," I said thoughtfully, "An adventure, someone she loves, and a fairytale life to look forward to. She _is_ marrying a prince, after all."

"How do you know that's what she wanted?" Adrien asked curiously.

I shrugged. "Before the spell was broken, and after she was more comfortable here, she talked about life in the town she used to live in, books she loved, and how she had always wanted a more adventurous life." I paused. "She would talk to some of the kitchen appliances that she got to know rather well, and I was usually nearby, being a spoon and all, so I heard," I explained.

Adrien nodded, looking thoughtful. "And you?" he asked suddenly.

I looked up, a little surprised. "I don't know, exactly. I mean, who wouldn't want that kind of life? But... well, it's unlikely that I'll ever..."

"That you'll ever what?"

"Well, meet someone that feels the way about me that the Master feels about Belle," I said before I could think. My face turned red and I tried to hide it by grabbing my shoes and putting them back on, and then returned _Romeo and Juliet_ to its place.

"I doubt that," Adrien said seriously.

I turned around and looked at him. "I could, I know, but life isn't usually like that. I mean, only a few people ever find the person they're supposed to spend the rest of their life with," I said.

"And I think you'll be one of them." He looked very sincere, and walking closer to me.

I thought it was very sweet of him to say so, and smiled at him. "Thank you, I appreciate that."

Just as Adrien looked as though he was going to say something else, the doors opened again. This time it was the young lord from the dinner. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," he said politely, then smiled as he recognized me. "You're the one that served dinner, aren't you?" he asked. I nodded. "I am Antoine Devareaux."

Adrien raised an eyebrow. "How is you stay, lord Devareaux?" he asked.

"Joyful. It's a relief to have our king back," Antoine replied.

It was interesting to look at Adrien and lord Devareaux facing each other, one a servant the other a court member. Both were tall, lean and muscular, but lord Devareaux wore his hair long and tied back, and had a court mask and stance that befitted his standing in society. Adrien, however, stood in his casual manner, with his open, steady gaze, his short black hair flopping a little over his forehead.

"I hope the rest of your time here will be as enjoyable," I said politely. Then turning to Adrien, "I haven't seen the refurbished wing of the castle yet. Would you like to take me? And you are welcome as well, lord Devareaux."

Adrien had an odd look on his face, but consented.

"No, thank you, Miss," the young lord said politely, "I have things I must attend to, but I appreciate your offer. Perhaps another time?"

"Certainly, my lord."

With that Adrien and I walked out. I wondered at the look on his face, but shrugged it off. Suddenly I felt a bit of the strong magic again, but it passed quickly, and I couldn't sense it or smell it.

"Is something wrong?" Adrien asked.

I realized that I had been standing there for a few moments, trying to figure out what I had felt exactly. "I don't think so," I said, starting to walk again. Whatever it was, it could wait. I wanted to have fun right then, and there was an enjoyable afternoon with Adrien ahead.


	3. Stone Cut

Thank you to everyone who reviewed my story! I've decided to try another chapter, but I'm afraid I've written myself into a corner, something that I'm very talented at, unfortunately. But hey, the point of writing stories on the website, for me, is to have fun and grow as a writer. So this is my third chapter. 

Declaimer: I don't own Beauty and the Beast, and will never make any money off of this story.

* * *

CHAPTER THREE

Stone Cut

"As you can see, this particular piece of art is an earlier work of the famous…"

My mind began to wonder as Cogsworth went on about another aspect of the Castle: Art. It might have been better if he paused for breath, or to let someone else speak, but I wasn't that lucky. It had been fine at first, when he joined up with Adrien and me on our tour, but after an hour and a half it had become somewhat of a struggle. Or a big struggle.

"I apologize," Adrien whispered as he bent toward me.

I looked at him, surprised, my feet automatically made me follow Cogsworth on to the next item of history. "What for?" I asked. I couldn't fathom what he was talking about.

"I meant for this tour to be fun, but I did a poor job of steering us away from hazards," Adrien replied with a grin.

"I don't think anyone could have had much success at that," I replied solemnly. That was another benefit of being an eating utensil: the ability to escape Cogsworth easily. If he decided that he wanted to tell you all about the four-hundred and seventy-two tapestries in the Castle, you could simply get him talking and sneak away silently. When you were a human, your footsteps echoed, your breathing could be heard, and Cogsworth had peripheral vision.

"And that's how Lumier caught this one on fire," Cogsworth finished, tears of mirth running down his face. Even Adrien looked amused at the burnt section on a painting. Great. I had completely missed what he had been on about, and it was probably the only interesting thing he had said the entire time.

"Now, if you will direct your attention across the hall," Cogsworth began, motioning to a large painting of a particularly hairy looking man, "You will notice that the painter wanted to create a mood that suggested…"

"Oh, wow, look at the time!" Adrien exclaimed dramatically, his eyes widening as he looked at the large, golden clock that sat between the painting of Queen Caroline and the one of a bare-footed monk.

Cogsworth turned to him, evidently irritated that Adrien had interrupted him.

"We've been having so much fun that I forgot about our other errands to run," Adrien said, glancing at me. I had no idea what he was talking about, but before I could ask him about it, he elbowed me gently and raised his eyebrows meaningfully. Oh.

"Do you?" Cogsworth asked. With an annoyed sigh he said, "If you must. But this piece was one of the corner stones in the early 13th century, and…"

"Thank you so much for showing us around, but we really have to go," I said sweetly, absently taking hold of Adrien's arm and walking away. After hurrying through a couple of halls, I stopped at the bottom of the large staircase that led to the North Wing. "That was fun," I said lightly.

"Yeah."

Adrien's voice sounded a bit funny. I looked up at him. He was staring at my hand. I glanced down. I was still holding his arm. I quickly let go and took a step back, feeling my face begin to turn red. I hoped he wasn't offended. I didn't think he was though, since he was smiling again.

"Since we've had our fill of historical information for one day, what do you say to taking a short ride?" he asked me cheerfully.

"Okay," I murmured, trying to hide my flushed face by turning toward the wall. The paper covering it was a deep red with small royal blue diamond shapes patterned throughout. I wondered who had chosen it, and how long ago they had done it. We were in an older part of the Castle, so it had to be someone who was dead by now. Perhaps it had been the old king or queen.

Soon we were in the stables saddling our mounts. I chose a palomino that looked lonely, and Adrien picked out an impressive chestnut mustang. Taking the best brush I could find, I went over the palimino's coat until it gleamed. I liked to be around horses, but I wasn't so good at riding them. The saddles were awkward for me, and I was a bit too short to climb up onto the horse's back without difficulty. When I managed to mount, hoping that Adrien wouldn't see me struggling, I glanced down and saw that a name was printed in faded letters on the reins. Snowflower. I wondered who named her.

"Are you ready?" Adrien's voice came from outside.

"Coming," I responded, urging the horse forward. Snowflower was very obliging, I was happy to see, as I bounced around in my saddle. No matter what I tried, every time I rode a horse I flopped around like a dying fish.

As I looked up from adjusting my grip on the reigns, reminding myself to face my thumbs forward, I caught the end of a smile on Adrien's face. "What?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" He looked perfectly innocent. I didn't believe it.

"That smirk! What was it for?" I demanded. If I had been on solid ground and not swaying on a large beast, I might have crossed my arms threateningly.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Adrien replied cheerfully.

Scowling, I directed Snowflower the beginning of one of the many trails on the grounds. Fine, he could be that way. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of being too curious. Even though… No, I didn't care.

Adrien looked perfectly cheery as he caught up to me, giving me an infectious grin. I smiled back, enjoying the warm sun on my face and the slight breeze that made the trees whisper softly.

"So how have you been?" Adrien asked me.

I shrugged, and then grabbed for the horse's mane as I felt myself sliding off her back. Adrien smiled. "Try putting equal weight on the stirrups, and pointing your heels down," he suggested. I tried it.

"It works," I said, pleased.

"Who taught you to ride?" he asked curiously.

I flushed. I had taught myself. Well, attempted to, anyway. Riding English style was much harder than I had thought it would be. When I told this to Adrien, he looked surprised, and then laughed. It wasn't a mean laugh, and I thought it sounded… cute. I shook my head; I was losing it.

The rest of the afternoon was taken up as Adrien taught me to ride properly. I watched with fascination as my balance got better, and I managed to stay on my horse without tipping too far to the side. He even had me trot a bit. Of course, Snowflower decided that I should try cantering, so off we went, me too surprised to stop her.

"Pull back on the reigns, Sophie!" Adrien called out to me as I got too far away.

But I didn't want to. Sure, I was bouncing worse than I thought was possible, and I came within an inch of falling off before I righted myself, but that was okay. It was much better than trotting. Then I remembered that Adrien had showed me how to post, so I tried it. It was as though I was flying.

"Sophie!" I heard Adrien call as he caught up with me.

Finally I pulled back on my reigns, slowing Snowflower to a stop. I gave her a pat and looked over at Adrien, who had an odd look on his face. I didn't like having to stop, but the memory of the canter was still in my mind, and the feeling burst out of me in the form of a laugh.

"Enjoyed that, did you? Snowflower thought you would," Adrien said with a smile.

"I liked it very much," I giggled, "But, Snowflower, I would prefer that you wait until I ask, next time."

"Wait until you get good enough to gallop," Adrien said excitedly. I realized that he was very fond of horses. I hadn't known that before.

"I'm dying to try it," I told him, unable to stop smiling.

"And I want to see you try," he said back.

"Waiting to find out how many times I'll fall off my horse?"

"I'm betting twice."

"How very unrealistic; I was thinking at least three times."

We both laughed. I privately thought it might help me improve it I was to go flying into the dirt, and then make myself get back on, but I didn't want to at the moment. I looked over at Adrien. He looked wonderful; his hair was windblown, his eyes were shining with merriment, and his smile did funny things to my heartbeat.

"Oh, hold on, Sophie; you've got something stuck in your hair," Adrien said, frowning at whatever was caught caught on my head. I held still as he drew his horse closer to mind and leaned over toward me. My heart began to behave badly with him so near. His face was only a few inches from mine, but he was busy trying to carefully extract the offending object.

"There," he said triumphantly as he plucked a piece of bark out of my hair. He looked down at me, causing my body to tingle. It was rather strange to me, but I liked it. His smile faded a bit as he gazed at me, not moving back at all. On the contrary, he moved closer. Adrien hesitated when he was about two inches from my face, his eyes searching mine. I didn't move. I felt his lips just barely brush mine before his horse got impatient and danced away, pulling us apart. That excited Snowflower, and she began to prance in place.

"Whoa, Snow," I murmured to my horse, stroking her mane. Unfortunately, I don't have a way with horses. Snowflower must have decided that she was tired of just standing there, or that it was a good time to make a fool of me. She pranced forward, bouncing me up and down in the saddle before she sat down and sent me sliding off her back end.

I didn't make a sound as I went flying into the dirt and rolled across a particularly spiky patch of grass. I suppose I was too surprised. I had never seen a horse do that to anyone, and this was not the way I had envisioned being unseated from Snowflower.

The next thing I knew, Adrien was pulling me up from the ground and asking me if I was alright. I thought about that. I had just been sent sprawling by a sitting horse. The image struck me as funny, and I laughed.

"I'll take that as a yes," Adrien said, cocking an eyebrow at me. I suppose he thought I was a little crazy. If he did, he'd probably be right.

"I'm fine, except for my elbow; it stings," I said, bringing my arm up for inspection. I was shocked to fine out that it was bleeding rather badly. Looking at the patch that I had rolled over, I saw a sharp shard of rock that I must have cut myself on.

"Let me see it," Adrien said with concern, gently taking my arm. His hands were gentle as he pulled my sleeve away from the wound, making my whole arm tingle at his touch. Or maybe it was loss of blood. Anyway, I didn't think it looked so bad. It was only a little over an inch long, but it did seem to be kind of deep.

"It's a clean cut, so that helps," Adrien murmured as he pulled a length of cloth out of the mustang's saddle bag. I wondered what a really jagged cut would feel like, and decided I was fine with the one I had. Then it began to hurt. I bit my lip and tried not to utter a sound.

"It's painful?" Adrien asked knowingly, wrapping the cut.

"Yes," I said quietly, feeling the stinging grow to throbbing.

"There might be a piece of the stone still in the cut, but that can be taken care of back at the Castle," he said, tying the cloth. "Can you ride?"

I lifted my chin a bit. "Yes, I think I can."

Adrien said nothing, but I read concern in his eyes.

I made my way to Snowflower and gave her a glare before attempting to mount her. I couldn't manage it and landed on the ground with a thump. Adrien helped me up again, and before I could protest swung me up onto his horse before climbing on himself.

"I…" I started, beginning to say that I could do it myself, but I knew that was not true. "Thanks," I said instead, leaning against him as my head began to swim. Thankfully it did not take long to get to the Castle. I glanced down at my arm as Adrien helped down from the horse and saw, to my dismay, that I was bleeding worse that I thought.

"Sophie, what happened!" Angeline practically shrieked when I entered the kitchen with Adrien's help.

"She was… unseated by her horse," Adrien told her as he guided me to a chair.

I snorted. "The horse sat, and I flew off," I muttered, but no one seemed to be listening as they surveyed my cut.

"Somebody get Dr. Olivier," Angeline ordered a gaping kitchen boy, who took off as soon as he realized that she was talking to him.

My head began to get fuzzy as I thought about what Angeline said. It was a good idea to call the Castle doctor. I thought there was more than one, but I wasn't sure at the moment. I closed my eyes for a moment, and when I opened them Adrien was peering anxiously into my face, Angeline hovering over his shoulder.

"Sophie, is it getting worse?" he asked calmly.

"My…my cut?" I asked, feeling very light.

"Yes," Adrien said patiently, "Does it hurt more?"

I thought that he would make a good doctor. I had been to a few that weren't very nice to patients, but Adrien seemed to be very calm and knowledgeable. It would probably reassure whoever was injured. But, wait… Adrien worked at the Castle, and I wouldn't want him to leave. Wouldn't want Angeline to go either, I thought after a moment.

"Stop that," I said as someone shook me a bit. I opened my eyes, not having realized that I had closed them again.

"Sophie, the doctor is here," Adrien said from my right. I glanced at him, and then looked at the man in front of me. He was in his late fifties, with a very bushy mustache and clothes that looked too small for him. Yes, it was Dr. Olivier.

"Can you understand me, Miss Lambert?" the docter asked me.

"Call me Sophie," I responded, wishing the room would quit spinning.

"Okay, that's good," Dr. Olivier mumbled, taking my arm. It took me a moment to realize that he meant it was good I understood, not that he could call me Sophie. A minute later he said, "It's trying to close up, but there's an obstruction that prevents it from congealing properly."

"Oh," I said, not really paying attention. I was concentrating on not falling off the chair.

"The rock," Adrien said.

The doctor gave him a questioning look, and Adrien explained. "I see," Dr. Olivier said thoughtfully. "Well, I'll have to go in after it. You carry her, Mr. …?" the doctor glanced at Adrien.

"Blaze," Adrien responded.

"Mr. Blaze, carry her." Dr. Olivier said.

Adrien didn't hesitate before gently lifting me into his arms. I sighed a bit, feeling safe despite the pain in my arm. I had never been carried by a man before, and I had to admit that it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Had I thought about it before? I might have. I couldn't remember at that moment.

I remembered when one of my cousins had gotten a hole punched in his lip while working in the woods, and he had almost passed out from that. How was I still conscious?

"Set her there," the doctor instructed Adrien, and I was set on a rather hard, flat surface. Once again Dr. Olivier was looking at my cut.

"It's pretty deeply imbedded," he said seriously. I wished he wouldn't use the word "imbedded".

"What does that mean as far as removing it?" Adrien asked. I wanted to know, too.

"I'll have to extract it," Dr. Olivier began, "but it will be painful." He looked at me. "I'll need you to hold his hand," he told me, gesturing to Adrien. Adrien took my hand and held it firmly.

"How much will it hurt?" I asked.

The doctor shook his head. I wanted to pass out.

"It'll be okay," Adrien said, squeezing my hand. I believed him, but that didn't stop my stomach from trying to twist itself into knots.

I didn't remember much about the whole thing, accept for my screams, the moment the sizable chunk of rock came out of my limb, and the feeling of Adrien's hand over mine. Finally, more from will than anything else, I lost consciousness.

* * *

I'm very sorry that this update took so long, but the reason is that I was at my dad's house last week and he hates anything electronic, such as computers.

Sorry for some of the grammatical errors, like things being repeated. My computer is going crazy and keeps copying text. I'll try to get it taken care of, but I'm not hopeful.

And a HUGE thank you to my reviewers!


	4. Fire

Cerise - Cherry.

Hello, it's me again. No, I haven't died, I'm just terribly sick with a flu-like bug, and I hate being ill. Sorry if it affects the chapter. And sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out; I was at my dad's again. The only thing he thinks computers are necessary for are spread sheets. Fun, fun!

I have no idea where I'm going with this story. Confidence inspiring, isn't it?

By the way, does anyone know who actually wrote the story, Beauty and the Beast? 'Cause I don't, but would like to.

Declaimer: Beauty and the Beast does not belong to me, and never will.

* * *

**CHAPTER FOUR**

_Fire_

"So her horse really _sat_ _down_ during the ride? That's different," said Angeline's voice.

My eyes were closed, and I could feel covers on top of me. I coughed as I regained consciousness; my throat felt dry and scratchy, and it didn't help that I was feeling very confused as to why I was lying down before sunset. Was I sick? Didn't feel like it. Then I remembered the rock and the horse. Stupid animal.

"Hey, welcome back!" Angeline said, smiling down at me.

I mumbled something incoherent and sat up. The other person in the room was… actually, I didn't know who he was. He had short red-blonde hair and gray eyes. The guy looked friendly enough.

"Sophie, this is Alexandre Morrow. You remember him, right?" Angeline said.

"No," I replied, frowning. I didn't remember at all.

Alexandre surprised me and laughed. Extending a hand for me to shake, I shook it as he reminded me that we had met a few weeks ago while helping others to rid the castle ground of a family of boars that had decided to move in. I still didn't remember him.

"How's the patient?" came another voice.

"Fine, Adrien," Angeline said, "I was just reintroducing her to Alex."

"Hey," Adrien greeted Alex with a firm handshake before coming over to me. "Feeling any better?"

"Yeah, now that the rock is out of my arm," I said.

Adrien was about to say something else when a very upset nurse dashed into the room. "Ah, no!" Agnes cried, making everyone in the room jump, "Too many visitors! She is not to be over stressed!" Agnes was a short, slightly plump woman in her early forties, with plain brown hair pulled into a bun at the top of her head.

I began to say that I was fine, but the moment I opened my mouth, Agnes stuck an apricot in it.

"I'm sor…" Adrien started, only to be interrupted.

"Two of you must go! Let her rest for a while," Agnes ordered.

Adrien began to get up, but Angeline stopped him, saying that she and Alexandre had spent more time with her and would be leaving. Adrien nodded and Agnes shooed them out before I had time to say goodbye.

"Don't wear her out," was all Agnes said as she put a glass of water by the bed I was on and then bustled out of the room.

I chewed on my apricot, willing it to go away quickly so I could talk to Adrien. I could think of several other things I'd rather be doing other than having Adrien watch me gnaw on some fruit.

"She's as friendly as when she was a fire poker," Adrien observed conversationally.

Nodding, I cursed the apricot and considered disposing of it, but thought better of it and chewed harder.

"Is there a reason for the apricot?" Adrien asked curiously.

I gave a final chomp to the fruit and swallowed. "Haven't the foggiest," I said.

We sat in silence for a bit before Adrien broke it. "I'm sorry about you getting hurt out there…" he began. I cut him off with a shake of my head.

"Don't be. It was probably a good experience for me, or will be once I get back onto Snowflower," I said thoughtfully.

"Ever the optimist," Adrien said with a smile. Then, almost nervously, "I was wondering if you would you like to go with me to…"

"That's enough visiting time," Agnes scolded as she walked back into the room with more apricots. I groaned at the sight of them, but Agnes, being the dear she was, took it the wrong way and glared at Adrien.

"That's it; you're not good for her right now. Out," Agnes ordered, pushing a confused Adrien out the door before turning back to me. "Now, open up; these _are_ good for you." She held out an apricot.

I took it grudgingly, and ate the next three sullenly, wondering what Adrien had been about to say.

"There's nothing like freedom!" I exulted to Angeline the next day. Agnes had insisted on my remaining bedridden until a few hours ago. When I finally got out, I was thoroughly sick of apricots and Agnes. She had fed me fresh ones, dried ones, mashed, cut, chopped, and every other way someone could possibly prepare the ridiculous fruit. "Thought I'd give you a variety," Agnes had told me. How thoughtful.

"So what's your schedule for today?" Angeline asked as we dodged a group of servants chasing after an escaped goat, the bell around her throat clanging loudly in the large hall. By the looks of it the animal was Maggie, my least favorite out of the herd and the one that constantly outwitted her caretakers. That made me worry about the mental strength of some of the goatherds.

"Nothing much; I've got to dust the North Wing, make the beds on the third floor, and clean the chimney in the East Wing," I replied. The worst would be traveling between the places.

"Lucky! I get to be in charge of Mrs. Wesmire today," Angeline said with a shudder.

I pitied her; Mrs. Wesmire was the pickiest, fussiest, and loudest guest staying at the Castle. Despite all of her irritating characteristics, she was one of the most important landholders in the kingdom; her family ran half of the eastern part of the kingdom and did a good job of it. However, that was not enough to make up for Mrs. Wesmire's behavior.

Angeline and I walked silently along for a few minutes, both of us thinking about our respective chores for the day when Angeline turned to me with a smile. "I forgot to tell you!" she started excitedly, "the Master has decided to plan a ball! It's in honor of his engagement to Belle."

I nodded, not seeing why she was so excited since it would mean dish duty for both of us. I was always amazed at the amount of food the guests could tuck away, and horrified at the number of utensils and plates they used. Of course it always _had _to be a buffet.

When I looked up Angeline was still watching me for my reaction. "That'll be nice for them," I said finally.

"And for us," Angeline said.

"Why?"

"You know the town of Cerise?"

"Yes…"

"Well, they're also having a party to celebrate the Master's engagement and the end of the Curse," Angeline continued, "It's going to be a festival, and anyone that wants to can attend! It's going to be so much fun! I haven't met anybody new for years."

It was true; none of us ever saw any new faces, unless we were sent to the market that week. "So, when is the festival?" I asked, trying not to get too excited.

"Two weeks before the ball, so… next week," Angeline replied.

My excitement deflated quickly. "How can we go anywhere with all the preparations there are to make?" I asked, annoyed at the town.

"That's what I was wondering," Angeline said, "The Master told us we could go if we wished, but Adrien pointed out that we wouldn't be able to take the time off for it with the ball so close. Then the Master said he'd hire extra hands to help get ready faster, and that there would still be many who won't go."

I still wasn't convinced, and neither was Angeline it seemed. "I know he means well," I began slowly, "But he doesn't know what it's like to prepare for something that size. Already there's a possibility that we won't have enough time."

"I know, but if we get the chance, are you going?" Angeline asked.

"Absolutely! But only if things with the ball are going well; I can't see anyone letting us off if we're behind."

"Then we'll just have to work harder and faster," Angeline said determinedly. Then, with a small smile, "You can go with a date, you know."

I nodded, then noticed the look on her face. "Do you have one?"

She nodded. I tried very, very hard not to smile. "Is it Alex?" I asked slyly, trying not to laugh when Angeline blushed. So that was the reason she was willing to hope for time off. "He asked you already?" I questioned, but secretly thought he was smart; Angeline would have no shortage of offers.

"Yes. He asked me right after we visited you," Angeline replied, trying to act casual. It didn't work; I could tell how excited she was. I was also willing to bet that the only reason Alex had come to visit me was because I was Angeline's friend, but it was nice anyway. For her, anyway.

"It's about time he asked you to _something_," I said laughingly, "You two have been flirting for at least five months." Angeline glared at me, but I ignored her.

"So," Angeline began, "Has anyone asked you yet?"

"No," I said, but thought back to what Adrien had been saying. _"I was wondering if you would like to go with me to…"_ Had he been about to ask me?I quickly shook that idea out of my head. He had probably planned on inviting me to feed the mares, which was what I counted as a safe way to be around a horse so long as you didn't in between the food and their mouths.

"I'm not surprised," said an annoyingly familiar voice. Angeline and I looked up and saw, to our considerable alarm, the approaching figure of Regine Vignat. She was a well known lady's maid to Countess Evadale, who was visiting the Castle, and one of my least favorite people. She looked, to most, to be innocent enough, with her large, pale blue eyes that tilted up just slightly, her perfect button nose, and perfectly wavy dark blonde hair.

She was shorter than be my about two inches, and yet somehow she managed to look down her nose at me while saying, "I would be shocked if anyone had even _considered_ asking you to _anything_; at least not if they're in their right mind."

Just as Angeline looked as though she was going to give Regine an earful, Adrien walked up with a smile on his face. "Hey, good to see you up, Sophie," he said by way of greeting.

"And who is this?" Regine asked interestedly, looking Adrien up and down.

"Adrien Blaze, meet Regine Vignat," I said.

"So nice to meet you, Adrien," Regine said, fipping her long hair over her shoulder and holding her hand out palm down. I wondered if she expected him to kiss it.

Adrien hesitated for a moment before shaking Regine's hand lightly. "You too," he said. Then turning to me, "Sophie, I tried to ask you before, but Agnes threw me out; would you consider…"

"What exactly do you do here, Adrien?" Regine butted in, stepping in front of me to face Adrien.

"I'm primarily a blacksmith," he replied, frowning a bit.

"How fascinating! I'm sure you're one of the best; I can just sense these things," Regine continued charmingly, "Would you mind giving me a tour of the castle?"

"I can show you around," Angeline interrupted, a smile pasted on her face.

Regine didn't even glance at Angeline. "Would you start with the ballroom, Adrien?" she asked, flashing him a white toothed smile as she took his arm and practically dragged him with her.

Adrien gently took her hand off of his arm. "Actually, I came here to…"

"It would just be a short one, and I'm not here for very long," Regine pleaded.

"Why don't you take her, Adrien?" I suggested, surprising myself as I said it. I didn't think I wanted her to be with him, but why shouldn't she be? Other than it would be a curse on anyone. _But_, I thought_, she'll finally relent if he does._

Adrien looked at me for a moment without saying anything. Regine continued to practically swoon over him. That annoyed me for some reason, but I battled the feeling down; I was being silly.

"If you have time, of course," I said, trying to recover.

"It won't take long," Regine said.

"But it will be painful," Angeline muttered.

Just then we were interrupted by the arrival of Countess Evadale. She was a tall, thin woman with powdered tresses and a frown permanently etched onto her face. As soon as she came into view Regine quickly took a step away from Adrien.

"Regine, there you are," the countess said, striding toward us purposefully. In a few moments she had reached us.

"You wanted me for something, Madam?" Regine asked.

"Did you press and hang my gowns for the remainder of our stay?" the countess asked sternly.

"Of course, Madam."

"Feed Fifi?"

"Just a few minutes ago."

"And you made sure our rooms were properly prepared?"

"First thing, Madam."

Countess Evadale looked mollified. Turning her gaze on us she asked Regine, "Is there a reason all of you are milling aimlessly about in the hall?"

"Mr. Blaze here was just about to give me a tour of the castle, Madam," Regine replied sweetly.

"Was he?" The countess looked Adrien over with a stern eye. "Hmph."

"It won't take long. I said I wanted to see it, and he is kind enough to gratify my wishes," Regine went on, looking at Adrien.

I felt bad for him; she had him trapped. If he refused it would be taken as an insult to the countess, and if he agreed he would be stuck with her for the rest of the afternoon, putting him behind in chores and being subjected to Regine's company.

"Just make sure to be finished by supper," the countess said.

"We will, won't we Adrien?" Regine asked.

Adrien, knowing that he didn't have a choice, simply nodded. I got the feeling that he would be done with it long before then.

"Have fun," Angeline said with a smile.

Before they left I put a hand on Adrien's arm and said quietly, "I can take care of your chores that don't involve the smithy; that way you won't have as much to do later."

"Sophie, you don't have to…" Adrien started.

"Just have a good time," I cut in. And with a final smile I followed Angeline down the hall.

"Do you think he'll enjoy himself?" I asked her when we were out of earshot.

"About as much as having a limb amputated, I'd guess," Angeline replied.

If I hadn't felt so bad for Adrien I might have laughed.

X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X

"Sophie, wake up!" an urgent voice shouted in my ear, rousing me from my deep sleep.

I mumbled something incomprehensible and turned over. Hands grabbed my arms and shook me hard, jarring my brain against my skull. "What?" I yelled.

"The stables are on fire!"

I stared into the darkness and managed to make out the terrified face of Angeline. Then her words sunk in; the stables were burning, and that meant…"

"It's going to spread to the north servant's wing," I gasped in horror, throwing off my blankets and dashing out of the room with Angeline.

As if she knew the question that was going round in my head, Angeline said, "We don't know how it was started, only that it was began very quickly and with a lot of strength. We're not sure we can put it out."

"Is everyone out of there?" I asked as we flew outside to see the whole of the Castle, or at least the servants, hurriedly pouring water on the raging flames. I could see right away that it was all in vain; the fire had its own life and breath and would not give them up.

I looked up at the windows of the Castle and saw frightened faces staring out at us: the nobles. Would they come and help if they were needed?

"Come out and help!" the cry rose from a number of men and women, beckoning to the nobles to supply the needed man power. With horrified glances at each other and at us, they backed away from the windows until we could only see their shadows lingering to see what would happen.

Of course they had remained inside; why should they endanger their persons for the lives of a few insignificant servants? An anger that I had not previously felt before built up in me, and I did not like it, I was not used to it. Why would anyone hesitate to offer assistance at a moment like this? _They are frightened,_ whispered a voice in my head. "So am I," I murmured.

"BACK!" roared a large man, waving his arms frantically at the surrounding servants, driving them away from the burning building. The fire was out of control, and now the only thing we could do was try to keep it from devouring the entire north servant wing.

"Cut it off!" shouted a familiar voice. I turned quickly and saw Adrien standing on top of a tool shed, his hair flying in the wind, eyes flashing as brightly as the flames. "Dig a trench before it reaches the north wing! Quickly! Pass out shovels, use cutlery, dishes, branches, your hands, anything! Just dig!" He leaped down and grabbed a spade as he took off for the rapidly closing space between the stables and the wing.

Dozens of others followed suit and began to tear at the earth with anything they had while others raced to the kitchen to get whatever they could. I followed and grabbed a large wooden bowl and raced back outside. My heart dropped to my feet. The fire was spreading.

"Someone's in there!" someone yelled.

A sudden ear piercing scream came from the burning stable, making my blood run cold. Who could it be?

"Get them out!"

"Who's going in?"

"It's too late for them!"

"Is it a child?"

The shouts continued in panic as the stables continued to be devoured by the flames. Another scream came from inside of it. I dropped my spoon and took off, not thinking about the hungry fire that would probably consume me, or that I had no protection against the smoke, only that someone needed help. But before I could reach the stables a figure dashed past me and shouted, "Stay here!" before running into the building, a wet rag tied around his nose and mouth, his cloths also wet. With a start I recognized him.

"Adrien!" I screamed after him, starting toward the door. A beam collapsed and blocked off the entrance, and my way to Adrien. "No! Adrien!" I shouted.

The cry went up that Adrien had gone in after the children. The ones in danger were children! The blood drained from my face at that news. "Please be okay, Adrien," I whispered as I watched the flames with the rest of the crowd, "Save them."

After a few heart pounding minutes the building began to moan and shift, and I knew what was coming.

"Get back! It's coming down!" I shrieked at the bystanders. They took off for safety, and before I could do anything else someone grabbed my arm and hauled me after them and out of danger. "No! I have to help him!" I yelled, pulling at the hand on my arm.

"You cannot! It's too late," said my captor. It was a man.

"It isn't! Let me go!" I jerking away from him only to have him take my other arm.

"I cannot let you," he said in a low voice.

It was Antoine. Anger flared within me; he had no right to keep me here. "Adrien needs my help, and yours for that matter! We must…" I began with a passion, but stopped as I heard screams from the surrounding crowd. I whirled around.

The building was falling.

* * *

I'm having a hard time with this story... STUPID WRITER'S BLOCK! I'm also very ill with a serious case of that. 

Thank you to everyone who reviews and reads my story. Needless to say I'd like you to do both.

Another thank you to my reviewers! Especially BelleEve, Shortstef, and TrudiRose. :)


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